I am not sure I am going to survive this part of my life. Nothing could have prepared me for the sleep training I have undergone for an intensive 35+ days and counting. I am pretty sure that every mom of 2+ kids could survive military bootcamp, or Navy Seal Training. I mean, come on, if I can lift a 30 lb. car seat in one hand, grab the arm of a 30 lb. toddler in the other hand, and still manage to balance my precarious diaper bag filled with: every size of diaper, a juice bottle, 3-4 pairs o...
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I've never flown first class before. That is, up until two days ago. Chris managed to get a first class flight with the same amount of miles that it would have cost for an economy flight (due to some generosity on the part of my father-in-law). He wasn't even going to tell me about it, until he realized that I am just a little bit hair-brained and would probably fight with the ticket counter about my mistaken "first-class" ticket.
"I could just imagine you getting really....confused." Chris to...
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I'm on vacation at my parents in North Carolina for two weeks. So thankful for the little things: the glasses of water my mom makes me drink, the food that is placed on the table before my eyes. This pregnancy has been exhausting for me. Just  when I am certain I can pick myself up, I get thrown down again. I'm having a hard time accepting the fact that my body is NOT going to cooperate, no matter how many cups of coffee I drink. Instead, I am learning to go with the waves, let them pull me i...
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My mom always says that God blesses us, in that, when one person is down-and-out, the other person in the marriage can pick them back up again. Then, you switch roles. One person always has to be up to bat.
It was 2 am in the morning and I didn't have my contacts in. I was searching feverishly for a lost pacifier. The holy grail of sleeping. I literally couldn't see 2 inches in front of my face without glasses, so I was fumbling all over Zoe's crib.  Zoe, meanwhile, was screaming at the top...
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I'm 18 weeks pregnant.
 In case you missed the memo in the last couple blog posts, my husband and I are anticipating the birth of baby #2. I guess I've been sort of "anticipating" it, but not quite the same way as I waited for Zoe. This time around, I don't have as many questions. I'm just sort of used to the groaning wake-up call of my first baby jolting me awake another day. I drink a coffee everyday. (Yes, I do, and I'm not going to apologize for the sort-of-guilty-way I feel about it becau...
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Dear Zoe,
I probably won't let you read this until you are a mom yourself, because there are too many complex feelings that I can't work out. Here's the deal: I haven't really loved being a mom, until today. Before you feel upset, or like it's your fault, let me tell you this: it has nothing to do with how great you are. Everyone is always telling me how "good" you are, how wonderful your behavior is, and how you are such an easy baby.

For months now, I've been unable to pinpoint the problem. ...
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It's the day after Christmas and I've caught myself reflecting on the many ways the women of the Bible show us the daily joys and trials of motherhood. When I was pregnant with Zoe, I often flipped through the Bible, looking for solace from any story that related to carrying a baby in the womb. (By the way, isn't womb a strange word?) . Around Christmas, I felt a strange kinship with Mary that I had never felt before. I would sing the songs about the baby in the manger, secretly anticipating ...
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My husband's favorite Disney movie is Aladdin. When I say favorite, I mean "memorized all the lines and could say them backwords from the last line--to the opening credits." If Aladdin is on TV, I will literally say "go", and Chris will say every line before it comes up.
He's amazing like that. He memorized the lines back in the day when our parent hooked up cassette recorders before we fell asleep. They might have secretly hoped that we would become incredible readers as the sound piped thro...
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It has been a whopping two weeks since my last post. In that time, Zoe has rolled over, (I know, yippee!) and learned to become an incredible jumping machine. She jumps so fast, she is a "blur" in real time.

The new problem with the Zo is night time. Up until now, Zoe has fallen asleep without a peep. She has even been known to pass out while jumping, a phenomenon I wish I could achieve (can you imagine, you're jumping up to say hello to someone, and then suddenly...you're asleep).



Her incred...
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When I was in N.H. to visit my grandfather at the hospital last fall, I met a nurse with her six-month old baby. This little girl usually goes to daycare while her mom works. Her mom told me an amazing thing about this daycare her daughter attended. They teach the little girl sign language! I found this kind of unbelievable at first. She was only six months old, after all, but she could sign several different words. She signs "milk", "eat", and "mom".  It was amazing to see this little baby c...
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(From the perspective of "the Zo")
A Day in the Life Part I

  5:30 a.m. My daddy, Chris stealthily attempts to get out of bed without waking me up. Because I now have the hearing capabilities of a predatory African lion on the Savanna, I almost always hear the rustle of the ties in the closet. He thinks he can do something without me getting involved. Ha! I'll show him!

5:32 a.m. I scream to let my presence be known. After all, who do you think rules the roost around here?

5:35 a.m. Yesssss. Pick...
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I recently joined a "moms" group at my church because, well, I'm now a mom.
 It's official.   I am now part of a secret club that involves googoogaagaa.  I swivel my head when I'm at the mall to watch that little girl toddling into a toy store. It's like I have a radar on my head that searches through the environment for wet diapers and drool. I am becoming fluent in "googoogaga".

Last night at Dunkin' Donuts to the Indian cashier girl:

Me: I haven't seen you in a while (I get decaf everynight a...
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If you've been a Christian woman for any length of time, you've probably heard the Proverbs 31 spiel. In ladies' bible studies, Proverbs 31 is like the ubiquitous chapter that never fails to make an appearance. Whether you are becoming a woman of "character" or a woman of "value" or just, in general, attending a woman's bible study on anything,  you are bound to hear "What can we learn about being a woman from Proverbs 31?"  

Now, my purpose is not to demean any chapter of the bible. It's just...
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